Guard for flexible conductors.



- No, 734,090. v PATENTED JULY 21, 1903.

G. R. PIMLOTT.

GUARD FOR FLEXIBLE GONDUCTORS.

APPLICATION FILED mu 25,1902.

1T0 MODEL.

, WITNESSES VWNTOR, W WW1 M ATTORNEYSJ mz-noams vrrms o0. movouwu. wAwm-cnom uv cv GEORGE R. PIMLO'IT, OF CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO ratented July 21, 1903.

UNITED STATES P TENT Genres.

WILLIAM G. RICE, OF HOUGHTON, MICHIGAN.

GUARD FOR FLEXIBLE CONDUCTORS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 734,090, dated July 21, 1903.

Application filed June 25. 1902. Serial No. 113,114. (No model.)

To all whom, it 71mg concern.-

Be it known that I, GEORGE R. PIMLOTT, a-

citizen of the UnitedStates, of America, and

a resident of Chicago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Guards for Flexible Conductors, of which the following is a specification.

The main object of my invention is to provide an improved, simple, and inexpensive form of guard suitable for preventing flexible electric conductors from being abruptly bent or kinked and from having the insulation ruptured at the point of their connection with electric-light sockets or other fixtures where such conductors are liable to be similarly strained or bent. I accomplish this object by the device shown in the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is an elevation,partly broken away, of an electric-light socket having a guard constructed according to my invention secured thereto. Fig. 2 is a bottom plan of the guard shown in Fig. lremoved from the socket.

The device shown consists of an ordinary Edison socket 2, having the usual flexible conductor-cord 3 extending into the upper end of same and provided with a guard. The guard 4 consists of a screw-threaded nipple 5, fitting the threaded aperture 6 in the sleeve 7 at the upper end of the socket 2. The nipple 5 is provided with an annular shoulder 8 near its upper end, andthe'part 9 of the n'ipple 5 above the shoulder 8 is spun over the lower edge 10 of the member 11, which forms the main body part of the guard. The member 11 is preferably made of thin metal spun to substantially the form shown. The lower end of the member 11 is turned inwarcllyand' upwardly and is firmly held between the shoulder 8 and the spun-over part 9 of the nipple 5. Since the lower edge of the memberllis turned upwardly, an annular pocket 12 is formed in the lower part of the member 11 and below the upper end of the nipple 5. The lower wall of this pocket is provided with apertures 14, which conductaway water which may have accidentally entered the opening 13 at the upper end. of the member 11 and prevent said water-from accumulating in places where it would have contact with the conductorcord 3 or from entering the socket 2; The upper end 16 of the member ll-is flared outwardly and turned back upon itself with an easy curvature and serves as a guide to the bending of the conductor-cord 3 at this point, thereby preventing the conductor-cord 3 from being sharply bent when it is pulled at an angle to the socket. The curvature of the guard shown is such that the inner curve of the conductor-cord when said cord is turned at right angles to its normal position has a radius equal to more than double the diameter of the cord. This insures such gradual curve of the cord as will prevent breaking at this point. The interior surface of the nipple 5 is preferably lined witha layer of insulating material 17.

The operation of the device will be apparent from the foregoing description. It will be seen that the surface 18 of the member 11 will guide and ease the bending of the conductor-cord 3, and thereby prevent the kinkwear which occurs when the conductor is not protected at its point of junction with the socket, as has been the practice heretofore.

It will be seen that numerous details of the construction shown may be altered without departing. from the spirit of my invention. I therefore do not confine myself to such details, except as hereinafter limited in the claims. 7 What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-- 1. The combination of an electric-light socket having a flexible conductor secured thereto; a guard secured to said socket and surrounding said conductor, said guard being suitably flared and curved at its upper part to prevent said conductor from being abruptly bent near its junction with said socket and having a pocket below the point where said conductor joins said socket, substantially as described.

2. An electric fixture, comprising a flexible conductor-cord, an electric-light socket secured to and suspended therefrom and having a tubular part forming a guard'for the conductor-cord, said tubular part being flared upwardly and outwardly away from the cord at least twice the diameter of the cord, substantially as and for the purpose specified.

3. The combination of an electric light socket having a flexible conductor secured thereto; a guard secured to said socket and surrounding said conductor, said guard being suitably flared and curved at its upper part to prevent said conductorfrom being abruptly bent near its junction with said socket, and said guard being provided below the flared part with apertures to permit the escape of moisture, substantially as described.

4. A guard for flexible conductors, comprising a screw-threaded nipple lined with insulating material and having secured thereto and in alinement therewith a member having a pocket extending below the upper end GEORGE R. PIMLOTT. Witnesses:

EUGENE A. RUMMLER, WM. R. RUMMLER. 

